Boot or shoe cleaner.



No. 747,031. PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903.

A. BARTOSZEK. BOOT OR SHOE CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.14. 1903.

NO MODEL.

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Patented December 15, 1903.

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ANTHONY BARTOSZEK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

B001 OR SHOE CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters ?atent No. 747,031, dated December 15, 1903. Application filed February 14, 1903. Serial No. 143.427. (No model.)

To (all whom it 77711;] concern:

Be it known that I, ANTHONY BARTOSZEK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Boot or Shoe Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in boot and shoe cleaners; and its object is to provide a device of simple and inexpensive construction by means of which mud, snow, &c., can be removed.

The invention consists in providing a receptacle having a drawer in the bottom thereof and a series of transversely extending strips arranged within the receptacle and above said drawer. Brush-bristles are secured to the'upper surface of these strips and also to the sides and ends of the receptacle, and a cross-strip is arched over said receptacle from one side to the other and is provided upon its under surface with tufts of bristles. The boot or shoe is adapted to be inserted into the top of the receptacle and under the arched strip and when moved backward and forward therein will be completely cleaned of all material which may have accumulated thereon, and said material will be deposited in the drawer arranged in the bottom of the receptacle.

The invention also consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, and Fig 2 is a vertical longitudinal section therethrough.

Referring to the figures by numerals of reference, 1 designates a receptacle which is open at the top and has recesses 2 in the upper edges of the sides thereof. A drawer 3 is slidably mounted upon the bottom of the re-, ceptacle and is provided with a suitable han dle 4, whereby the same may be withdrawn from the device. Strips 5 are arranged transversely within the receptacle at points above the drawer 3, and upon each strip are series of tufts 6 of suitable stilt bristles, which are arranged slightly below the lower edges of the recesses 2. An arched strip 7 extends upward from the sides of the receptacle at the front ends of the recesses 2,the front edge of the arch and the rear edge of the recesses merging, and the under surface of this strip is also provided with tufts 8. Theinner surfaces of the sides and ends of the receptacle are curved at the corners, as shown at 9, and said sides and ends are covered by bristles 10, as illustrated in the drawings.

To use this device, the shoe is inserted in the top thereof without removing it from the foot and is moved back and forth under the arched strip 7. The bristles extending from this strip will clean the top of the shoe, While the sides and ends of said shoe will be thoroughly cleaned by the bristles 10. The lower tufts 6 serve to remove any accumulations which may be upon the sole of the shoes, and when it is desired to clean the instep it is merely necessary to bend the shoe, so that the uppers will be brought into position in one of the recesses 2. By constructing the sides of the receptacle with the recesses 2 the foot may be turned over at an angle toward either side to clean that part of a boot orshoe between the vamp and the rear quarter or heel, which is usually difficult to reach by the use of ordinary cleaning devices, the re cesses forming clearances for the ankle to permit the foot to be turned over a greater distance than would be permitted if the sides of the receptacle were closed throughout their length and devoid of the recesses. The recesses 2 also permit the foot to be laterally turned under the arched strip 7 to thoroughly clean the vamp and the instep portion of a boot or shoe. It is obvious that the joint of the ankle at opposite sides would strike against the sides of the receptacle if said sides were of a height in rear of the arched strip equal to the height of the remaining portions of said sides.

The material which has been removed from the shoe will fall into the drawer 3 and can be removed by withdrawing said drawer and emptying the same.

It will be seen that this device is extremely simple and inexpensive in construction and the boot or shoe inserted thereinto can be thoroughly cleaned without necessitating its removal for the purpose of reversing it.

In the foregoing description I have shown the preferred form of my invention; but I do not limit myself thereto, as I am aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, and I therefore reserve the right to make such changes and alterations as may fairly fall within the scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A boot and shoe cleaning apparatus comprising a rectangular receptacle having brushes spaced apart and extending transversely across the central portion of the receptacle, the inner surfaces of the opposite ends of the receptacle being curved and provided with brushes so as to conform to the curvature of the heel and toe of a boot or shoe, a curved arch having brushes spanning the side walls of the receptacle, the side walls of the receptacle being provided with recesses in rear of said arches, brushes on said side walls, and a drawer mounted in said receptacle to coact with the spaces between said transverse brushes,substantially as specified. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANTHONY BARTOSZEK. Witnesses:

JOHN KNozEWsKI, JAN DRELICH. 

